Microsoft Introduces Windows Phones To Market

Time was once that Microsoft was known solely as the mobile software provider for ‘pack horse’ handsets, business phones the size of breeze blocks but ones to bring desktop functionality out of the office and into the pocket.

Now mobile convergence is commonplace, and the ability to access the web, mail and social networking sites is something expected or even demanded by the average consumer.

Microsoft today announced their intentions to fulfill these needs with ‘Windows Phones’, handsets that aim to remove the gulf between smart phones and entry level ‘dumb’ devices by merging the aspects of business and casual functionality.

These Windows Phones are an example of the clout Microsoft has in the mobile market, with today’s Central London event a showcase of manufacturers, networks and retailers on board, flying the flag of an all-in-one experience that users will love.

Except with Microsoft, it’s not quite that straight forward.

WINDOWS MOBILE 6.5

These new handsets run on Windows Mobile 6.5, an incremental upgrade to the Microsoft operating system that is meant to tide the faithful over until the revolution in 2010, when Windows Mobile 7 is due to launch.

Windows Mobile 6.5 attempts to address many of the issues of usability leveled at previous versions by providing what they dub an ‘expanded user experience’, one which attempts to banish the stylus (although still available on many handsets) with easier navigation and a more intuitive interface.

The home and lock screens do indeed bring slick, one-flick access to mail, contacts and media, but a couple of button presses and users fall right back into the WinMo (or should it now be WinPho?) abyss of basic fonts, minuscule text and uncomfortable menu overlays.

One step before this is the new-look menu screen, a ‘honeycomb’ arrangement of menu icons that appears when the famous Windows ‘Start’ button is pressed that feels a tad abstract.

To have a dedicated button on every Windows phone that takes users to this page is a huge opportunity, but we only wish this was a showcase of what 6.5 could really do rather than a set of misaligned icons.

The browser fared little better, where the allure of Flash Lite support was immediately offset when witnessing the jerky and slow navigation of a relatively light website.

Video and music playback seemed archaic, taking visual cues from the old Windows Media Player software rather than the infinitely more attractive Zune-style interface that the home screen is inspired by. Supported formats and the quality of the playback itself were far better, clear and crisp as well as free from the stutters and blockiness a weak device can cause.

All in all, the Windows Mobile 6.5 interface feels far too familiar to warrant the degree of pomp surrounding its launch, adding what might be considered ‘service pack’ features by a lesser software developer.

MANUFACTURERS

Manufacturers have been supporting Windows Mobile for ages, and a bevy of phone makers were all on hand to show that they had done a good job of sprucing up 6.5 on their devices.

HTC, themselves a company whose ability to make Windows sexy changed their fortunes overnight, continued that theme with a pair of eagerly awaited phones.

Their latest phones, the HTC Touch 2 (coming to T-Mobile), and the HTC HD 2 (soon on O2) are both running the latest iteration of the Sense UI on 6.5, and show the lengths the Korean manufacturer has gone to shield consumers from the traditional Windows interface.

Slick icons, a smooth scrolling UI, dynamic wallpaper and gorgeous visually-driven mail and Twitter integration give that cutting edge feel that customers now expect, all without Microsoft’s operating system making an appearance.

Samsung takes a similar route with the Omnia 2, Samsung Omnia LITE and QWERTY-slider Omnia PRO B7330 all sporting their proprietary TouchWiz interface in addition to Window 6.5, a widget-based skin originally seen on feature phones as well as Symbian devices with the i8910HD.

Existing handsets running on Windows Mobile 6.1 will all see an upgrade to 6.5, like the HTC Touch Pro 2, HTC Touch Diamond 2 and HTC Snap. The issue of upgrades for old and existing devices seems to be one Microsoft has left in the hands of the respective manufacturers.

The Toshiba TG01, currently an exclusive on Orange, is one device which will be seeing a fully-fledged upgrade to ‘Windows Phone’ status. The super-fast processor, 4.1” screen and custom ‘Blinds’ interface were not enough to make the handset swift enough to actually use in its original state, but a free fix is on the way to rectify that. Current owners should see a link up on the Toshiba site in the coming days, enabling an SD card based boost to WinMo 6.5 in moments.

MYPHONE AND WINDOWS MARKETPLACE

Two features sure to draw attention to Windows phones are MyPhone and the Windows Marketplace, Microsoft’s take on popular features that a certain other smart phone can claim dominion over.

MyPhone provides quick and easy syncing of all data on a handset, from photos to texts, e-mail and all besides, for free. Backing up pictures to a PC becomes a breeze, whilst losing important data becomes a thing of the past as MyPhone can be set to automatically save all your precious information as regularly as required, or as often as data charges allow.

However, some of the features budding spies have been looking forward to – locating a handset using GPS and remotely wiping of data via PC (presumably so the microfilm doesn’t fall into the hands of another agent…) will eventually become Premium features, with monthly fees attached.

Windows Marketplace For Mobile is Microsoft’s App Store to all intents and purposes, launching today with 60 titles in the UK and in excess of 250 worldwide.

Not huge numbers, but as more developers get on board and software gets through certification, expect to see a lot more.

A big, clear and simple user interface greets users that click on the icon, and apps are separated by category, free and paid, as well as able to be sorted by ratings.

Nice features which set Microsoft’s purchasing portal apart include a quibble- free 24-hour money back guarantees on apps, and the ability to use apps on up to 5 handsets registered to the same Windows Live ID, off the same purchase.

Purchases can be made using credit cards, with phone billing an option, but not one taken up by any carrier as yet.

All very generous, and an addition to Windows phones that is long overdue, but whether the quality will outweigh the quantity of offerings on display is yet to be seen.

With the odd situation of Windows Marketplace, a manufacturer’s application store and a network-specific download shop all potentially available on a single handset highlighted by one journalist, Microsoft calmly replied that it offered more choice to the consumer, rather than confusion.

With plans to bring 30 Windows phones to 20 countries by the end of 2009, the matter of both offering choice and availability was a recurring theme.

WINDOWS PHONES

The nature of the Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system being available in different customised forms on a range of handsets is one that cannot be ignored, and combining a unified ‘Windows Phone’ concept with specific handsets in the advertising blitz will be key in avoiding consumer confusion.

Whether Windows Mobile 6.5 appeases the hardcore phone fans is moot to Microsoft at this point. Those users who can recognize which elements are new, which are carried over and which are introduced by the manufacturer are, besides being a little geeky, not the target for Windows phones.

The entire point is to lure those who weren’t even aware of Microsoft’s presence in the mobile market, leveraging that huge brand awareness and try to court those who interact with PCs on a daily basis to take that experience onto their phones.

Microsoft are perfectly happy to let manufacturers skin up handsets to look like phones that consumers are already familiar with. Upgrading from a Tocco Ultra to an Omnia 2 might be a far smoother transition with that core interface commonality.

The Samsung Omnia 2 in fact features prominently in forthcoming advertising from Phones4U, in an effort to focus consumer attention in Windows phones on to a particular handset, with a view towards educating them about OS distinctions further down the line.

Windows 6.5 might act as a stop-gap, but if Microsoft can position Windows phones as the gateway into the smart phone world for first timers, then that valuable casual user might be willing to take the plunge, blissfully unaware of the alternatives available.

Windows phones do however run the risk of falling between two stools – not appealing to the tech-savvy as they know what it lacks, whilst the ‘unsexy’ user experience and Microsoft stigma will do little to inspire casual buyers away from the iPhone’s charms.

In absolute terms 6.5 is serviceable, but is by no means where Microsoft should be relative to the competition. Smart phones are the market where growth is the biggest, and competition is fierce as manufacturers show little operating system loyalty to rack up sales.

Windows Mobile 6.5 was not created in a vacuum. In the interim period between this and Microsoft’s previous version both the iPhone OS and Android have shifted perceptions of what smart phones can do, as well as how beautifully. To have this as Microsoft’s sole platform in the smart phone race until 2010 is somewhat disappointing.

Time will tell if the Microsoft brand alone is strong enough for Windows to break the shackles of the desktop for a new generation – phone makers have certainly done their part with the strongest lineup ever – but 6.5 is certainly not the ideal software to attempt such a Herculean task.

Tags: Feature, Microsoft, Smartphones, software, Top, windows, windows mobile 6.1, windows mobile 6.5, Windows mobile 6.5 review, windows mobile 7, Windows phone, winmo